Kenseth pins hopes on continuity

Kenseth won four races last year and led the points standing going into the Chase, the last ten races of the season. He didn't get any victories for that period and feels he and his team didn't get enough speed from their car in the final few races.

"I felt like we could have had a few more wins," Kenseth said at Daytona on Tuesday. "I was certainly thankful for the ones we had. Last year we were in position to win more races than we ever have been any other season.

"So the season as a whole, I was very pleased with last year. It was just very disappointing at the end of the year we didn't get our stuff to run any better. My hope is we found stuff to make our cars better."

Kenseth's team is very much intact compared to last season. He hopes that allows them to carry on with their good run from last season.

"Basically our whole team is still together. We had one guy go, one guy that came back. So I think our over-the-wall thing will even be better than what it was last year. I think it will be more consistent, which was already really good."

The Roush Racing driver also expressed his uncertainty about how his team will perform with the Car of Tomorrow, which will be raced for the first time at Bristol, where he won his last race in 2006.

"I know I felt like for the last, you know, at least six months, we've been way behind, like we haven't done a lot of work on it compared to (Richard) Childress (Racing), or some of the teams.

"I felt like we were behind on it. We have been testing. We've been working really hard on it the last month or two."

Kenseth also payed tribute to Benny Parsons, the former Cup champion who passed away on Tuesday.

"Last time I saw him he was at Homestead. He had this girl carrying his oxygen bottle. He's in the garage, just happy as he could be. You knew he didn't feel good, but he still came down to see everybody, wish you luck, hang out in the garage, because that's where he loved to be."

Kenseth will drive again the No. 17 De Walt Ford for Roush Racing in 2007.